Oct. 26, 2012

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) - Florida State, the defending ACC Champion, is ranked 25th in the preseason men's college basketball poll by the Associated Press marking the first time since the 1992-93 season that the Seminoles have been ranked nationally in the preseason writers' poll. The Seminoles won their first ACC Championship in 2012 and return four of their top five scorers as they work to become the first team other than Duke or North Carolina to win consecutive ACC Championships since Wake Forest in 1995 and 1996.

The Seminoles are one of three ACC teams -- NC State (sixth), Duke (eighth) and North Carolina (11th) - to begin the season nationally ranked. The Seminoles were a combined 5-1 against the Wolfpack (1-0), the Blue Devils (2-1) and the Tar Heels (2-0) last season and defeated North Carolina, 85-82, in the championship game of the 2012 ACC Tournament on March 11 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga.

Florida State is ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll and is tied for 24th in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. It marks the first time in school history the Seminoles have been included in the preseason poll by both the writers and the coaches in the same season.

The last time the Seminoles began the season in the AP top 25 was before the 1992-93 season. The Seminoles finished in second place in the ACC with a 12-4 record and advanced to the Southeast Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament that season.

Led by All-American Michael Snaer, who averaged a career high 14.0 points per game as a junior in 2012, the Seminoles return four of their top five scorers from last year's ACC Championship team. Also returning to the line-up are guard Ian Miller (10.3 ppg) and forwards Terrance Shannon (8.3 ppg) and Okaro White (7.7 ppg).

Snaer has been named a preseason All-American by at least three different publications: First Team by Blue Ribbon Yearbook, Third Team by CBSSports.com and Fourth Team by College Sports Madness. He was an All-ACC Second Team selection and the Most Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament in 2012.

Leonard Hamilton, the two-time ACC Coach of the Year (2009 and 2012) returns for his 11th season as the Seminoles head coach. Under Hamilton, the Seminoles are the third winningest program in the ACC since the beginning of the 2005-06 season.

The Seminoles open their exhibition season on Oct. 30 against Lincoln Memorial and play host to South Alabama in their regular season opener on Nov. 9.

AP Top 25              USA Today Coaches' Poll
1.  Indiana            1.  Indiana
2.  Louisville         2.  Louisville
3.  Kentucky           3.  Kentucky
4.  Ohio State         4.  Ohio State
5.  Michigan           5.  Michigan
6.  NC State           6.  NC State
7.  Kansas             7.  Kansas
8.  Duke               8.  Duke
9.  Syracuse           9.  Syracuse
10. Florida            10. Florida
11. North Carolina     11. Arizona
12. Arizona            12. North Carolina
13. UCLA               13. UCLA
14. Michigan State     14. Michigan State
15. Missouri           15. Creighton
16. Creighton          16. Memphis
17. Memphis            17. Missouri
18. UNLV               18. Baylor
19. Baylor             19. UNLV
20. San Diego State    20. San Diego State
21. Gonzaga            21. Wisconsin
22. Notre Dame         22. Gonzaga
23. Wisconsin          23. Notre Dame
24. Cincinnati         24. FLORIDA STATE
25. FLORIDA STATE      24. Texas

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